It’s official:Claire Foyis the new Lisbeth Salander.We learned back in Maythat the buzzworthyThe Crownstar was being eyed to lead Sony’s new take on theSteig Larssonfranchise, and now Deadline confirms that Foy is set to leadThe Girl in the Spider’s Web. The new film is based on the novel byDavid Lagercrantz, who took over the Millennium Series after Larsson’s death—Larsson only wrote the first three books before he unexpectedly passed away, but the franchise and character of Lisbeth Salander has continued.
Evil DeadandDon’t BreathehelmerFede Alvarezis directingSpider’s Web, which is essentially a reboot of the franchise even though it’s technically a sequel to the initial trilogy that kicked off withThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. InSpider’s Web, journalist Mikael Blomkvist receives a tip about information relating to the United States, and the source’s source is a young female hacker who sounds a lot like Lisbeth Salander. So the story is much more government/politics-oriented thanDragon Tattoo, and it’ll be interesting to see howSpider’s Webaddresses the previous film if at all.
IndeedDavid Fincher’s 2011 adaptation ofDragon Tattoowas intended to kick off a franchise withRooney Marain the Salander role, and he even set screenwriterSteven Zaillianto pen the sequels. But the priceyDragon Tattoofailed to take off at the box office like Sony had hoped, scoring just over $230 million worldwide, and the sequels languished in development hell until Sony opted to move forward with a new start.
The role of Lisbeth Salander was hotly contested when Fincher’s film was taking shape, with actresses likeScarlett Johanssonvying for the role, so this is a big get for Foy. She’ll be the third actress to play the character, asNoomi Rapaceoriginated the role in the 2009 Swedish adaptation ofDragon Tattoo.
Foy may be well on her way to winning an Emmy on Sunday for her work inThe Crownand also stars alongsideAndrew GarfieldinAndy Serkis’ directorial debutBreathe.The Girl in the Spider’s Webwill start filming shortly, as the film is set to hit theaters on June 23, 2025.
